Page 31 of Wolf Trap

“But what if-”

He flashed me a smile. “I’m already dead, remember?”

He crouched in front of the first trunk. I could already smell it festering in the air. I clenched my muscles, bracing for whatever would be in there, my hand covering my nose.

As he clicked open the latches on the trunk, I flinched, ready. Tentatively, Anthony lifted the lid, dropped it and covered his nose with his hand, his face twisted in horror.

Trying not to laugh, I turned away. I know it’s wrong. Sometimes the tension gets the better of me. Anthony looked comical, and the stress was killing me.

As for Lycaon, he stood by my side, all muscle and brawn, bolt upright. Glancing down, I noticed his fingers had half shifted to claws.

“Bloody hell!” Anthony twisted away, his pallor turning green.

“I don’t think I want to know!”

Standing, he shook his head as he shuddered and did the same with the next one. Sucking in his cheeks, he let the lid drop.

“Final one. Wait a minute, even vampires can puke.” Taking in a lungful of air, he bent over with his hands on his knees.

Did he breathe?

Then he strode to the next one. The latch clicked open. He lifted the lid.

“Come see, they’re empty. But whatever they had in them… it had to be body parts.”

Lycaon was there in an instant, his voice a low rumble.

“Smells like a few different species. Why are they storing bodies in trunks? Yet, Elsa and I saw them carrying these trunks into this place. They are mutating different species, but this seems too amateur for them.”

I stood on my tiptoes to look from afar and suggested, “Maybe the bodies had been killed by the feral vampires and werewolves?”

Anthony watched me, then let the lid slam shut. The sound echoed through the building.

“That’s a definite possibility,” he said as he scanned the room. “That was disgusting. I wonder who they had in there?”

“They mutilated Lisa,” I said.

Striding back over, the vampire glanced at Lycaon, then rested his hand on my arm. “I know. They mutilated your friend. And they cast a circle with bones and skulls. This isn’t just dark magic. This is a whole new level of evil. Powerful and actually,” he glanced back, “impossible to control. Austin briefed me. It could be their downfall. Unfortunately, they could drag us all down with them.”

His chest rose and fell heavily. Anthony now faced us, his fingers through his hair, pushing away the silky black curls.

Murmuring, Lycaon answered, “Well, perhaps Elsa’s magic is just what I need then to survive this. Will it work, fighting fire with fire?”

Anthony’s shoulders dropped. “Hum, unlikely. A damp cloth or water is usually better to put out a fire. Look, Elsa, I suspect your father wasn’t in control of his actions. Austin told me what happened. This magic,” again he twisted his body, his gaze towards the trunks… “I was in Hell. I’ve seen things no one should ever see. This is…interesting.”

He turned back to me. “We should sweep this place together. If anything happens, we combine our magic. If things go wrong, you two get out. I’ve lived in Hell. I can endure pain. If it goes according to plan, we get what you need and get out fast. Come.”

My senses were on high alert now. I twitched and jerked at every little noise.

As we left the room, he closed the door, and we made our way through the hallway to the adjoining rooms.

Keeping my voice low, I said, “There’s a series of servants’ corridors and a secret passageway to a room in the basement where they kept their icons. We should look there first.”

“Ok.”

Lycaon added, “I think I can remember where that tunnel was, though there are so many rooms.”

We edged through the hallway, passing the armour. Lycaon commented, “That is creepy as hell!” He shuddered as we passed it.

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